Clutch.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXIS EDOUARD VIVINUS, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Pate-nt No. 696,284, dated March 25, 1902.

Application led September 16, 1901. Serial Nox 75,574. (No model.)

To all whom t mar/y concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXIS EDOUARD VI- vINUs, a subject of the King of the Belgians, and. a resident of Brussels, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of which the following is a specification. f

The object of the present invention is a new friction-clutch which can be thrown into or out of gear without exerting any pressure toward the shafts to be acted upon..

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a section of the clutch, taken through the two shafts it is desired to 4operate upon. Fig. 2 is a frontview of the principal parts of the clutch.

To the driving-shaft a is keyed 'a fly-wheel b, provided with aA cylindrical cavity in which are placed the operating parts of the clutch- The shaft to be'driven, @,supported in bearings j, is hollow and carries on its end opposite to the fly-wheel b a disk o', to which are connected, by means of pivots g, two brakeblocks f, arranged in the said iiy-wheel l). These brake-blocks f are each provided. with ain arm s, placed near the center of the disk by means of coiled springs c,'placed on bolts l, which pass through holes made in the two arms s. The springs k therefore have a tendency to prevent the clutch-blocksf from bearing against the fiy-wheel h. In the hollow of the shaft o is placed a spindle h, provided with a conical end e, placed between the two arms s. This end. is constantly pressed against the arms by a spring p, bearing on the one hand against the end of the shaft o and on the other hand against a stop-nut q screwed to the shaft h. Y

By the action of the spring p the brakeblocks are constantly held against the inner cylindrical surface of the iiy-wheel, which determines the clutch action.

To throw out of gear, it isrnecessary only to push the rod h toward the fly-,wheel in order to disengage the cone'o of the arms s and to allow the spring la to approach the said arms s. This pushing force may be exerted on the spindle 7i, by means of a stop-lever m, actuated by means of a pedal n, placed within the drivers reach.

c These arms are brought near each other- The clutch-blocks are lengthened beyond the pivot g, and each carries a balance-weight the object of which is to equalize the eifect of the centrifugal force, which without the balance-weights would overcome the action of the springs 7c and apply the clutch-blocks against the fly-wheel.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and` desire to secure by Letters Pat- 6o ent, is-

` l. In a device of the character described, a hollow ily-wheel keyed to the crank-shaft, a hollow shaft, a disk keyed to said shaft, a

Spindlebperating in the said hollow shaft having a conical end, clutch-blocks having weighted ends pivoted to the said disk, arms connected to said clutch-blocks, spiral springs, bolts having said springs mounted thereon connected to the arms, the said arms having 7o cone-shaped openings formedV therein, and means whereby'said spindle is moved laterally to cause the cone carried thereby to disengage from the cone-shaped openings in said arms and cause the `clutch-blocks to disengage from the inner circumference of said hollow ily-wheeh'substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, a hollow iy-wheel 'keyed to the crank-shaft, a

hollow shaft having a spindle Operatin g there- 8o in, a disk on the hollow shaft, a conical end on said spindle, a pair of clutch-blocks each carrying an arm pivoted to said disk, bolts passing through each of said arms and having springs mounted thereon, said arms hav- 8 5 ing cone-shaped openings formed therein for engagement with said cone carried by the end of the spindle, and a spring mounted on the spindle and engaging the hollow shaft for normally holding the conical end of the 9o 'spindle in engagement with the arms, and.

means for operating the spindle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence oftwo witnesses.

Y ALEXIS EDOUARD VIVINUS.

Witnesses:

C. S. SCHYE, GREGORY PHELAN. 

